The present invention relates to handlebar grip end caps and in particular to handlebar end caps including an engaging ring to attach the end caps.
Handlebars are used on motorcycles, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), watercraft and snowmobiles. Such handlebars generally include grips and end caps for closing off the ends of handlebars. Soft grips are desirable both for comfort and for control but unfortunately, make it difficult to secure an end cap at the outer end thereof. If the end cap is molded in the soft grip, it can be torn off by contact between the handlebar end and the ground. Alternatively, if grooves are formed at the end of the soft grip they do not provide sufficient structural strength to hold an end cap in place.
Several approaches have been taken to hold an end cap on a handle grip. U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,423 shows a soft grip with an end cap which is secured in a groove in the grip which is expanded by placing the grip over the handlebar. Unfortunately, the end cap is still supported by only the soft rubber grip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,618 provides a bicycle handgrip requiring an inside depending sidewall and an outside depending sidewall when the grip is molded from a soft material as desired. There is not sufficient structure to securely hold the end cap in place. U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,687 utilizes an end cap which is screwed into a ring. The ring in turn is held by a tubular insert. This provides a relatively expensive assembly with numerous parts and thus is impractical for most handlebar grips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,154 provides a protective end cap which is an enlarged end cap to protect the user from impalement by the equipment handle. Such an end cap would be impractical for most bicycles, motorcycles and the like and would be readily knocked off when the end of the handlebar contacts the ground.
Golf clubs typically have end caps but such end caps do not have the same vulnerability to be struck against the ground as for instance a bicycle grip end cap. Various golf club end caps are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,606,325; 4,195,837; 5,895,329; and 6,718,675.
Another problem with soft grips is they tend to twist over the handlebar. Various anti-twist structures are disclosed in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,759 for “Removable, Non-turning Handlebar Grip,” filed by the present inventor, disclosed a soft grip with clamps at each end to fix the position of the grip on the handlebars. The clamps of the '759 patent solved the problem of removably retaining the soft grips on handlebars, but obstruct the attachment of known end caps to the handlebars. The '759 patent does not teach any way of securing an end cap thereto and thus there is a need for a structure which will securely hold an end cap onto a grip even though the grip portion is made from a relatively soft material. The '759 patent is herein incorporated by reference.